Different depictions of God caused by culture, politics

Is God a God of compassion or a God who demands justice? Is God angry, wrathful and a seeker of retribution for wrongdoing or is God gracious and forgiving offering comfort and compassion?

There are those who say that God is an avenging God. Look at the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament and one sees the image of a destroying God who wages war and ethnic cleansing, who condemns and seeks retribution. But there are also images of a God who is tender, gracious and generous and who offers comfort and forgiveness, a God of love and peace. We know that these images exist side by side in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. So is God a God of condemnation or damnation or a God of graciousness and generosity?